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Andrey Arshavin: Premier League Easier To Adjust To Than
I Thought
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EPL: Andrey Arshavin, Liverpool - Arsenal
(PA)
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The diminutive Russian believes
the strength and pace of the Premier League has forced him to adjust his
game.
It is testament to Andrey Arshavin's instant settling in to life at Arsenal
that his statistics from just three full months of games read like an
end of season profile: six goals and eight assists in all competitions,
despite only making 12 appearances.
The Russian international, who is one of the shortest player's in the
league, cites the physical nature and the pace of the Premier League,
together with his talented team-mates, as the main causes for his quick
adjustment.
"I didn't expect it to be easy to adapt to English football,"
he explained to the Evening Standard. "In Russia, I never had to
face such physical battles. If I jumped for the ball and a defender pushed
me in Russia, the whistle would blow every time. Here it never does.
"But it's up to me to change what I do on the pitch, better movement,
quicker decision-making. I'm not afraid to be in a battle but if it's
a Micah Richards or a Robert Huth I'm up against, I'm only half their
size!
"When the defenders are that big, you can't fight them. You have
to use your brain against them."
Arshavin was also swift to pay tribute to those he shares a dressing room
with.
"The real difference is that the average ability of the players at
Arsenal is higher. They're harder to play against in training!" he
smiled.
Alan Dawson. Goal.com,
1 May 2009
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